IU Center for Rural Engagement

For many Hoosier students, a field trip to the Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University is their first opportunity to experience a museum up close. By creating fun, welcoming experiences for learners from across the state—including many from rural communities—the museum is inspiring the next generation of lifelong museumgoers.

Eskenazi Museum of Art creates engaging field trips for K-12 students from across Indiana For many Hoosier K-12 students, a visit to the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at IU Bloomington is their first experience coming face-to-face with...

Can you guess where this is? Hint: This rural Indiana town is famous for its spring festival celebrating the flowering trees that line its streets, parks, and neighborhoods each year.

Through his work at Beck’s Mill, IU senior Barry Swigart discovered how interpretation can help people connect more deeply with place and community. This summer, he’ll continue that work through a National Park Service internship at St. Croix National Scenic Riverway in Wisconsin.

Read Barry's story at go.iu.edu/Wt7CGf.

Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington

At the 2026 IU Rural Conference, the IU Center for Rural Engagement honored five outstanding individuals and partnerships for their collaborative impact and commitment to strengthening rural communities across Indiana.

Meet the awardees at go.iu.edu/7cisR8.



IU College of Arts and Sciences Washington County Community Foundation Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Daviess County Historical Society Museum Odon Town Hall Department of Art History, Indiana University Bloomington

IU Center for Rural Engagement honors five awardees for contributions to rural Indiana The awards recognize excellence in student engagement, community partnership, faculty-engaged teaching, faculty-community engagement, and collaborative pa...

"Friday marked the dedication of the town’s new Montgomery Park, a project that began in 2025 after town leaders worked with Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement’s Sustaining Hoosier Communities program to develop a vision for turning an empty gravel parking lot into a focal point and place where the community could gather."

Town of Montgomery,IN

Community transforms empty lot into Montgomery Park; creates a new focal point for growth A large crowd gathered for the dedication of the new Montgomery Park Friday. The park has created a new focal point on the town's Main Street.